Early-Onset Alcohol-Use Behaviors and Subsequent Alcohol-Related Driving Risks in Young Women: A Twin Study * (Report‪)‬

MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS ARE one of the leading causes of mortality among youth, and driving while intoxicated remains one of the principal factors associated with accident risk, with estimates suggesting that as many as 40% of all motor vehicle accident fatalities can be attributed to the effects of alcohol-related impairments (Hingson and Winter, 2003; Room et al., 2005). Although 73% of the drivers in alcohol-related that car crashes are male (Hingson and Winter, 2003), such accidents still account for significant contributions to morbidity and mortality among young women. Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest both that (1) women may be at increased risk for alcohol-related driver fatality conditional on a given level of alcohol consumption (Zador, 1991 ; although this finding remains controversial [Zador et al., 2000]) and that (2) internationally, gender differences in alcohol-related motor vehicle accidents may be converging (Waller and Blow, 1995). Given the substantial morbidity and mortality associated with driving while intoxicated, there has been considerable research interest in the factors that predict driving while intoxicated. A recent review of this issue summarized the extant literature by noting that there are numerous policy, social, family, individual, and environmental factors that contribute to risks of driving while intoxicated (Hingson and Winter, 2003).